Covering over 86,000-square-miles across West Texas and southeastern New Mexico, the Permian Basin is one of the most productive oilfields in the world — generating hundreds of millions of gallons of crude each year and accounting for nearly half of all U.S. oil production.
For oilfield workers, it’s also one of the most dangerous places to make a living. Brutal heat, freezing winters, dust storms, and remote, poorly maintained roads are just part of the challenge. On the job site, crews face daily risks from pressurized equipment, toxic chemicals, and heavy machinery, often with little regard for their safety.
So how did such a harsh environment become one of the world’s top oil-producing regions? Below, we break down the history and geology of the Permian Basin and how our undefeated oilfield accident lawyers fight for injured oilfield workers.
Where Is the Permian Basin?
The Permian Basin stretches across a vast swath of West Texas and southeastern New Mexico, spanning roughly 300 miles east to west and 250 miles north to south, including 55 counties, from Midland-Odessa at its eastern edge to the Guadalupe Mountains in the west.
Geologically, the Permian Basin is comprised of three primary sub-regions:
- The Midland Basin (to the east): Includes cities like Midland, Odessa, and Big Spring, with drilling concentrated across Midland, Martin, and Howard counties.
- The Delaware Basin (to the west): Extends into Pecos, Loving, and Reeves County, Texas, as well as Eddy and Lea County, New Mexico, with towns like Carlsbad and Artesia at its center.
- The Central Basin Platform (in between): A hillier, rugged region separating the Midland and Delaware Basins and including parts of Crane, Upton, and Ector Counties.
Across all three zones, the Permian Basin is defined by an unforgiving landscape: flat, arid plains, dense shale, and rocky desert, broken occasionally by the rolling hills and rugged outcrops of the Llano Estacado, Edwards Plateau, and other highlands. The region is also prone to dust storms, extreme drought, and wild temperature swings, adding yet another layer of danger for the thousands of oilfield workers who operate here every day.
How Did the Permian Basin Form?
Like much of North America, the Permian Basin was shaped by the shifting and collision of tectonic plates over hundreds of millions of years.
One major collision between the North American Plate and a giant landmass called Gondwana during the Late Paleozoic era caused the region to sink and form a broad, low-lying basin — part of the same tectonic process that helped form the supercontinent Pangaea.
Over time, thick layers of sedimentary rock — carbonates, sandstones, and shales — accumulated in the basin, especially during the Permian period (about 299 to 252 million years ago), when much of the region lay beneath a shallow inland sea. These deposits trapped vast amounts of organic material, which over millions of years became the oil- and gas-rich formations that drive today’s production.
Today, the region contains the thickest sequence of Permian-aged rocks anywhere on Earth — hence its name. This ancient geology is still visible in the distinctive topography of West Texas and southeastern New Mexico.
Why Is There So Much Oil in the Area?
1. Because It Holds More Fossil Fuels Than Any Other Region in the U.S.
Over millions of years, the organic material buried here—including the rich reefs of the Permian period—was transformed by heat and pressure into abundant deposits of fossil fuels. In fact, the Permian Basin holds more recoverable oil and gas reserves than any other region in the United States.
In 2018, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) estimated that the Delaware Basin alone contains up to 46.3 billion barrels of untapped oil, along with 281 trillion cubic feet of natural gas, and 20 billion barrels of natural gas liquids (NGLs) — making it the largest continuous oil and gas resource ever assessed by the USGS.
And that’s just one part of the Basin.
2. Because of Its Unique Stacked Geological Structure
Unlike other oil-producing regions that typically target a single formation, the Permian Basin contains multiple oil- and gas-rich formations stacked vertically at different depths, often referred to as “stacked plays.” This means operators can produce from several layers in the same location, dramatically increasing output.
Only recently have advances in drilling technology, particularly horizontal drilling and multi-stage hydraulic fracturing (“fracking”), allowed operators to fully tap into these deeper and more complex formations.
Some of the Basin’s most active and productive formations include:
- Wolfcamp: Found in both the Midland and Delaware Basins, Wolfcamp is the single most productive formation in the Permian — responsible for more than 30% of the region’s total oil production. Its thick, hydrocarbon-rich layers make it a prime target for horizontal drilling and fracking.
- Bone Spring: Located mainly in the Delaware Basin (including the towns of Pecos and Carlsbad), the Bone Spring formation is known for its stacked reservoirs and has contributed to a sharp rise in output over the past decade. Alongside Wolfcamp, it accounts for much of the Delaware’s roughly 50% share of Permian oil production.
- Spraberry: Situated in the Midland Basin, the Spraberry has been producing for decades — but modern drilling techniques have unlocked new potential. Combined with the Wolfcamp in what’s known as the “Wolfberry” play, it fuels a large portion of Midland’s daily output, which itself makes up about 40% of Permian production.
Together, these three formations drive nearly all of the Permian Basin’s record-breaking production, with billions of barrels already extracted — and billions more estimated to remain.
A Brief History of Permian Basin Oilfield Development
During the 19th century and even earlier, ranchers and settlers in West Texas noticed oil bubbling up from their land. But after repeated failed attempts at excavation in the early 1900s, wildcatters famously dismissed the Permian Basin as a “petroleum graveyard.”
That changed in the 1920s, when several operators finally succeeded in extracting crude oil from shallow formations using simple vertical wells—including the famous Santa Rita No. 1 well in Big Lake, Texas — facilitating large-scale exploration and investment, and cementing the region as a major oil hub.
For decades, however, the Basin’s economy became defined by booms and busts. During periods of high oil prices, drilling and production would surge— bringing jobs and prosperity to West Texas. But when prices fell, the same towns were hit hard by layoffs, shuttered rigs, and economic decline. The cyclical nature of the oil industry made life here unpredictable and even more harsh. Additionally, much of the Basin’s oil remained locked in deeper, low-permeability rock layers that early drilling technology couldn’t reach.
Then, in the 2010s, advances in horizontal drilling and fracking transformed the industry. For the first time, operators could drill laterally for miles underground and extract oil and gas from multiple stacked formations—all from a single well site.
The result: the largest production boom the Permian Basin has ever seen.
Permian Basin Oilfields in 2025
Today, there are more than 7,000 active oil fields in West Texas alone, according to the Railroad Commission of Texas. In 2024, the Permian averaged 308 active drilling rigs — over half of the nation’s total — and led all U.S. regions in crude oil production, pumping 6.3 million barrels per day (b/d), nearly 48% of total production in the nation. With the Permian booming, the U.S. has produced more crude oil than any nation ever in the past six years, per the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
Some of the largest operators currently active in the Permian Basin include:
- Pioneer Natural Resources
- Diamondback Energy
- Occidental Petroleum (including subsidiaries Anadarko E&P Onshore and Crownquest Operating)
- Endeavor Energy Resources
- Chevron
- Apache
- Conocophillips
- Exxon
These corporations collectively generate Billions in annual revenue, employ hundreds of thousands of workers, contractors, and support staff, and support a wide range of ancillary businesses—from equipment suppliers and transport companies to hospitality and housing. According to one study by Natural Gas Intelligence, the oil and gas industry has added at least 37,100 upstream jobs in the Permian Basin since September 2020, averaging 807 new jobs per month.
But this rapid expansion hasn’t come without risks. Increased drilling and fracking has raised serious concerns about worker safety, air quality, and groundwater contamination from wastewater and fracking byproducts — including numerous ongoing accounts of “zombie well” blowouts. The Basin’s workforce and local economies aren’t immune to economic shocks as we saw during the COVID-19 pandemic and continue to see today with volatile oil markets. And rapid population growth has strained infrastructure in many Permian towns, compounding these challenges.
The Risks for Oilfield Workers in the Permian Basin
Working in the Permian Basin is inherently dangerous, but new technologies have only amplified those risks. Beyond the traditional hazards of drilling and fracking, many operators now use enhanced oil recovery (EOR) methods—such as CO₂ injection and waterflooding—to extract more oil from aging wells. While these techniques boost production, they also increase the release of volatile hydrocarbons, making the job site even more hazardous for deadly explosions.
Even as oil rig accidents have declined nationwide, the Permian Basin has continued to see a rise in serious oilfield incidents, with the number of severe injuries reported in the Midland-Odessa region rising 36% since 2022, according to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
Some of the most common causes of oilfield injuries and fatalities include:
- Mechanical Failures and Blowouts: Increased pressure from EOR techniques can stress well casings, valves, and pipes, increasing the likelihood of equipment failures, uncontrolled releases of oil or gas (blowouts), and catastrophic accidents.
- Exposure to Toxic Gases: The release of hazardous gases such as hydrogen sulfide (H₂S)—a deadly, colorless gas common in oilfields—poses serious health risks. EOR can increase the volume and pressure of gas released, raising exposure dangers.
- Chemical Hazards: Workers handle large volumes of fracking fluids, wastewater, and injected chemicals, all of which can be toxic or corrosive. Improper handling or leaks can result in skin contact, inhalation risks, and long-term health issues.
- Fire and Explosion Risks: With more hydrocarbons flowing to the surface, the chances of fires or explosions rise significantly, especially if safety protocols fail or equipment malfunctions.
- Environmental Exposure: Increased production results in higher volumes of produced water and wastewater, which if spilled or improperly stored, can contaminate soil and groundwater, indirectly affecting workers and nearby communities.
- Physical Hazards: Harsh weather conditions—scorching heat, freezing winters, dust storms—combined with long hours and physically demanding work, heighten the risk of heatstroke, dehydration, and accidents.
- Truck Accidents: Rushed jobs to meet tight deadlines and high production demands often lead to poor training, negligent hiring practices, and inadequate vehicle maintenance—putting drivers, workers, and bystanders at increased risk of serious or fatal truck crashes.
Given these risks, safety training and protective equipment are critical. However, it’s been our experience that most accidents in the Permian Basin are entirely preventable and stem from a systemic, industry-wide problem of oil companies prioritizing profit over the well-being of their workers and contractors.
That’s why, after the unthinkable, you need a top legal team on your side immediately—one with a proven track record of holding negligent operators fully accountable and securing record-setting compensation for our clients, no matter how aggressively oil and gas giants try to evade responsibility.
Contact the Undefeated Midland Oilfield Accident Lawyers from Zehl & Associates Injury & Accident Lawyers for Help Today, Call (888) 603-3636
At Zehl & Associates, we’ve represented thousands of injured workers across Texas and the U.S., securing some of the largest oilfield verdicts and settlements in history, including the top oilfield burn injury recovery. With Billions won, our undefeated Midland oilfield accident attorneys have the resources and expertise to take on the largest oil and gas companies and not only win, but set records.
If you or a loved one have been injured or killed in an oilfield accident or explosion, contact us today for a free, confidential consultation at (888) 603-3636 or through our Contact Us page.
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